Wheeler's Injury May Force Drury's Hand

Even before Blake Wheeler went down with what is likely a season-ending injury to his right leg in the first period of Thursday night's 7-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens, Chris Drury was contemplating what moves he was going to make at the trade deadline to shore up a roster that, despite a dismal January, is still in first place in the Metropolitan division and has now won six in a row.

With 9 goals and 12 assists on the season, it's not like Wheeler was tearing it up. Head coach Peter Laviolette tried shuffling him between the first and third lines in an attempt to unlock some of the skill the Rangers thought they were getting when they signed him over the summer. He finally settled on the first line when it became obvious that the third line of Kaapo Kakko, Jonny Brodzinski and Will Cuylle was too good to tinker with. Unlike his predecessor, Gerard Gallant, Laviolette is not one to fix what isn't broken.

But now that Wheeler is lost for the season, it is imperative that Drury find a replacement. And the sooner the better. Jimmy Vesey is a capable stopgap, but he is far more valuable to this team in the bottom six than in the top six. And with the Rangers apparently determined to keep Brennan Othmann in Hartford, Wheeler's replacement will have to come from outside the organization. Then there's the matter of finding a center for the fourth line. With the trade deadline literally three weeks away, Drury will be burning the midnight oil.

Of course, there's just a couple of "small" problems that could potentially gum up the works. The first should be obvious: Drury won't be the only buyer looking for help; the second is that thanks to an unusually competitive 2023-24 regular season, the number of sellers might be relatively small compared with past years. For instance, I'm sure Jordan Eberle and Yanni Gourde would make fine additions to the Rangers lineup. But with the Seattle Kraken only four points out of a playoff spot, GM Ron Francis might be reluctant to part with them, unless of course Drury is willing to pay a king's ransom.

And that isn't likely to happen, for two reasons: 1. Drury isn't one to overpay; and 2. According to Darren Dregor, James Dolan has apparently directed Drury not to trade the club's number one pick. Seems the NHL Draft is being held at The Sphere in Las Vegas this year - which Dolan just happens to own - and he wants to see his GM make that slow walk up to the podium in the first round. And you thought he was done meddling with this franchise when he fired John Davidson and Jeff Gorton three years ago? Silly you.

So, to recap: first round pick off the table, seller's market, multiple buyers. Unless Drury can get Dolan to change his mind on the first rounder, he's going to need Iron Man to pull this one off. He may have no alternative but to narrow his search to just one need. And if I were a betting man, I'd say he opts to fill the right wing spot and rough it with Barclay Goodrow as his center.

I keep coming back to Frank Vatrano. He's played with Mika Zibanaejad before, so the two are familiar with each other; he's signed through next season, which will give the first line something it hasn't had since Pavel Buchnevich was in a Rangers uniform: stability; and the cap hit - $3.6 million - is manageable. If Drury can get the Anaheim Ducks to retain some salary, it's a slam dunk.

Then there's always fan favorite Vladimir Tarasenko. Frankly, I wouldn't get my hopes up for a Broadway reunion. For starters, the price tag for the Ottawa Senator's services will be higher than Drury can pay, especially for a rental; for another, after what happened last April, I doubt Drury wants to go down that yellow brick road again.

If Drury chooses to go for a center, Tyler Johnson of the Chicago Blackhawks could fill the bill. He was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning when they won back-to-back Stanley Cups and has played with Goodrow, though on separate lines. He's a UFA after the season, so he'd also be a rental.

One thing everyone seems to be in agreement on is that Drury will be active this trade deadline. How active will depend on the negotiating skills of his fellow GMs and how much of a dick his owner wants to be.